Day Five—Hillbilly Cops Are Afraid of Old Ladies.
I shake the bag of cat treats and dive under the covers on Granny’s bed. She dangles the feather cat teaser off the side and then joins me under the quilt. We are breathless with anticipation and try not to make a sound as we wait.
Within seconds, there are two thumps on top of us as the cats pounce. We laugh hysterically, reward the cats with a treat, and do it again.
We’ve been playing like this for two hours.
Granny’s sigh is long and happy as she fluffs a pillow behind her head. “Oh, I need a rest.”
I settle in beside her. “Have you decided what to name them?”
“Well, we’re dealing with a boy and a girl, but I don’t know. We could be obvious and call them Onyx and Diamond. Or Black Diamond and Pearl.”
“Or Cappuccino and Latte, or Espresso and Sugar, or Mocha and Whipped Cream,” I offer. “Or any combination of the above.”
Granny looks at me with concern. “You are obsessed with coffee, aren’t you? Do you need to see someone?”
“What about you and all the gemstone references?”
“I can’t help it. I love being a gemologist. Diamonds are a girl’s best friend. But so are rubies, emeralds, and sapphires. I like my friends.”
“Anyway,” I say and take a sip of water from my bottle on the nightstand. “I like Jingle and Bell. It’s catchy.”
White cat makes a circle then plops near us to take a nap. Granny scratches its head. “Do you know anything about them?”
“No. There wasn’t much information available. I’m not even sure how old they are.”
“Did you find them at the shelter?”
Ummmm...
“Yes.”
“I need to run them by my vet,” Granny says.
“Yeah. I was thinking I’d see if I could take mom to work one day next week and borrow her car. We can do that and get whatever else you need. Definitely some scratching posts.”
“Oui. I didn’t keep those. Pierre destroyed them. And I need to get the cats on the list for the spay and neuter clinic, too.”
I nod as the kitchen timer goes off.
“That’s our Christmas Eve brunch,” Granny says.
“I’ll help you.” I whip my messy hair into a ponytail with the band I’ve been wearing on my wrist and then wash my hands. “What time is the Christmas Eve candlelight service?”
“It’s early. I think around six and it won’t last long.” Granny sets plates on the table and hands me two champagne glasses filled with orange juice.
“Fancy,” I say because I don’t recall ever drinking orange or any other kind of juice from a champagne... “What are these things called again?”
“The champagne flutes?”
“Yes. Flutes. Weird.”
“A couple of people are coming up afterward. Perhaps Ivy and Nick will come for coffee and bûche de Noël.”
“No! Don’t let all your friends eat the cake, Granny. What about tomorrow?”
“Don’t worry. Two cakes.”
With that crisis averted, my mind drifts to where my real focus has been all morning: Nick Zernigan and the marathon kissing session. More please!
I smile to myself and tap out another text to Amanda in answer to her millionth question about last night’s events. We’ve been having this same conversation since 3:00 A.M and I’ve told her the truth. It’s been pure magic—but it’s a Christmas vacation fling and will likely be over when the first bell rings back at school.
“Cheers, cheri.”
“Huh?”
My granny is trying to toast champagne flutes with me, and all I can think about is Nick’s soft lips.
“Joyeux Noël,” I say and touch my glass to hers.
“Joyeux Noël, mon amour.”
****
Nick is waiting on one side of the door while Tanya stands at the other with a box of white candles dressed in cardboard circles.
“C’mon,” Nick says and grabs a handful for us. “Aunt Ivy is saving us a seat. Merry Christmas, Collette.”
“Merry Christmas, Nick. You and Ivy need to join us after service and have something to eat.”
“Sure. Thanks.”
The room is dim except for the small stage where two people with acoustic guitars sing What Child Is This? in perfect sweet harmony. Two trees, leftover from the dance, stand at either end and create a warm sparkling glow.
“It looks nice in here,” I tell Nick as we reach our seats. “I tried to get away to come help, but Granny had me arranging cheese and pastries for her little soirée tonight.”
“It didn’t take me and Tanya long. We made a spot over there for Father Jonathan to do what he needs to do for his people, then the other guy is over there for his people. It’s like a religious fair or something. Step up to the table, get a free pencil and a rubber bracelet and take communion.”
I laugh and almost snort. “Stop,” I whisper. “It’s good they come for the people who can’t get out. It’s Christmas. This is important and they still have to get back to their churches for midnight services.”
“I know, Holly, I’m only kidding.”
I stretch to look out the large glass doors at the end of the rec room. “Did you see it’s snowing?”
“Yes, and I was wondering—”
“Let’s stand and open with a word of prayer,” Father Jonathan says.
Nick doesn’t say another word and my knees are about to abandon me. What are you wondering, Nick? WHAT ARE YOU WONDERING?
We sit again and each man speaks about Christmas. I’ve heard this a thousand times, but Nick seems riveted as Father Jonathan talks about Christmas being a year-round miracle and how it’s our duty to serve God and one another as Christ intended us to. Not only at Christmastime, but every day.
Pastor Allen adds his message and reflects on God’s great love for us to have sent His Son into the world to teach us by example—and then face the cross to die for our sins as the ultimate sacrifice and lesson in forgiveness.
Nick bows his head as they pray and I see by his serious expression he is, as my granny would say, takin’ care of some business.
He glances my way. The sincerity in his eyes tells me something has changed. I am totally stoked if Nick has decided to re-dedicate his life to Christ because of what he’s heard at this Christmas Eve candlelight service. But with peace comes certainty and with certainty comes peace. And Nick looks like one peaceful, certain—and determined—guy.
And I’m afraid he’s determined to join the Army.
My hands shake as we stand and listen to the familiar Christmas story from Luke. The guitars play Silent Night and Nick steadies my hand to pass the candle flame to me. I smile and pass it to Granny.
Nick takes my hand and laces my fingers with his.
In those days, Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) And everyone went to their own town to register. So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them. And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.” When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.” So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told. Luke 2:1-20 NIV
We sing a verse of Silent Night and blow out our candles. Nick grabs mine and tosses it in the box as the service ends and he drags me away.
“I’ll bring her right up, Collette,” he calls over his shoulder.
Nick pulls me outside. My stomach flips and flops with excitement as he leads me away from the door and into the spooky flower garden, now dead and frozen for the winter. Bare branches serve as resting places for new snow, and light from the building filters onto untouched benches and casts eerie shadows.
“It’s still snowing,” I say and hold out my hand as if I’ll catch something. “And it’s cold out here.” I wrap my arms around myself.
“This won’t take long. I need to talk to you—”
“Nick Zernigan! I thought I saw you come out here.”
I’m startled by the creepy figure near the garden. He comes into view and a new chill darts down my spine. It’s a policeman, all decked out from head to toe in winter gear, complete with plastic on his hat to shield it from the snow.
Nick attempts a smile. “Officer Pinkney. What’s up?”
“Is your dad around?”
“No, sir. He’s out of the country. I’m staying here with my Aunt Ivy for Christmas.”
“Yeah, I heard about your uncle. Sorry about that. Is your aunt around?”
“Upstairs. Do you need to see her?”
“Yeah. For a minute.”
“I’ll show you.” Nick moves for the door and squeezes my hand. Don’t say anything, he mouths to me as we step inside.
My head is exploding. I run through my mind what Nick and I have been up to. Shopping for chickens, running from underage drinking parties, stealing cats. But that’s what we’ve done together. I have no idea what else he’s been doing.
Or maybe it’s nothing.
Officer Pinkney stomps the snow off his boots in the doorway of the complex. “And you’re seventeen, Nick?”
“Yes. About to be eighteen.”
“And you drive that white F150?”
“Yes.”
Oh. No. It’s not nothing.
Christmas is wrecked for good this time.
We take the elevator, and Nick walks straight to my granny’s door and opens it like nothing is weird at all. He steps aside for me to go first.
And my mom is there to greet me.
My mom? And Jake?
“Holly!” She rushes to hug me. “Merry Christmas, baby! Are you surprised?”
I am numb. “Yes. I thought you were coming home tomorrow.”
“Ha! We got you,” she says as others come toward the door. “We actually came home yesterday because we had some things to do.”
“Wait. You came home yesterday and you didn’t tell me?”
“It’s nothing bad. We’ll explain.”
She stops suddenly as Nick and Officer Pinkney come further into the room.
“What’s going on here?”
Granny and Ivy step closer and now I feel certain I will pee my pants.
Officer Pinkney clears his throat and pushes his hat back away from his forehead. “I was out here on another complaint and thought I’d ask Nick and Ivy about a call we got this morning.”
“It’s Christmas Eve, Gene,” Ivy says with a bit of snark. “And this is a family gathering so I suggest you get to it.”
“Yes, Ma’am,” he answers. I swear he’s afraid of her. “There’s a gentleman who lives out on county road nine way back in the woods and he says he observed Nick in his truck going back and forth out there yesterday.”
“That’s not a crime, Gene,” Collette adds.
“He said one time was after midnight and he was speeding. Was Nick home with you last night, Ivy?”
“He came in late, but he was home.”
“There have been rumors of parties somewhere out there in the woods and this gentleman calls regularly to report suspicious behavior.”
Jake steps forward and puts his arm around my mom. “County road nine. That’s the road to the animal shelter. That’s the only thing out there. Why is Holly in the middle of this if this is about Nick and his truck?”
“She has nothing to do with this,” Nick says. “She was with me outside when Officer Pinkney found me.”
I consider admitting to everything. I did attend an underage drinking party—just not the one Officer Pinkney’s talking about. And I did steal cats. If I have to go to jail on Christmas Eve for that, I will. I won’t let Nick take the fall. I know I’ve been watching too much cop TV but I open my mouth—and Nick clamps down on my upper arm. I glance at him and he is shaking his head as hard as he can without letting on he’s shaking his head. His eyes are as big as snowballs.
Ivy squints until her eyes disappear. “Nick, were you out on country road nine yesterday?”
“Yes.”
“Were you at a party back in the woods?”
“No.”
Ivy turns her glare on Officer Pinkney. “Are you going around to every teenager’s house in the county on Christmas Eve and asking if they were on that road last night.”
“No, ma’am. Nick’s truck is the only one reported.”
“That doesn’t make much sense,” Granny says. “One truck for a whole party in the woods on the coldest night so far this winter? Why don’t you come in and have a cup of coffee, Gene? There’s no crime to investigate here.”
“I can’t, Ma’am, but thank you.” He turns his attention to Nick. “Stay off that road at night, Nick. And behave yourself while your dad’s out of town.”
“Yes, sir.”
I unclench my fists. Did that really just happen?
Nick is pale, but starting to breathe again. I feel like turning a cartwheel. Granny closes the door behind the policeman, and I’m expecting to eat cake as if nothing has happened.
We wander into the living room and everyone is staring at us.
My mom crosses her arms. “What have you two been up to?”
“We weren’t at a party in the woods,” I say.
“But you were on that road together,” Jake says.
“Yes,” Nick admits, “but it’s not what you think.”
Ivy sits on the edge of a chair. “Honesty, please. Everybody knows something happened. Even Gene knows something went on; he just doesn’t have any idea what it was. Or any proof. If he did think you two committed a felony, believe me, he wouldn’t have left.”
“It was me,” Nick says.
I roll my eyes. “No, it wasn’t Nick. Stop taking the blame for this, Nick. I’m pretty sure this cat thing was all me.” I pull out my phone and prepare to show my movie.
Jake stands and extends his hand to Nick. “Hi, Nick. I’m Jake.”
“Nice to meet you. How was your trip?”
“Fantastic.”
“Anyway,” I interrupt. “I asked Nick to take me to the shelter yesterday because I wanted to look at cats, but they were closed. Someone dumped a box on the porch and we went back to check last night after the dance to make sure someone found it. It was still there. So we took it. It was close to midnight and freezing so we took the box of cats.”
My mom has that deep crease in her forehead. The one that shows up when she’s super mad or super confused or both. “You took cats from the shelter when they were closed?”
“They’d been dumped there, Mom. It’s not like we broke in and took them. They were abandoned.”
“What did you do with them?”
“They’re here. They’re Granny’s Christmas present.”
My mom glances around the room. “We talked about this, Holly. We hadn’t made a decision.”
I grit my teeth. Of course we didn’t. Because you ran off with your boyfriend before we could.
“Giving pets for Christmas is tricky,” my mom continues to drone on. “You have to be sure the person is ready for them. And seriously. Taking abandoned cats from the shelter? I don’t condone dumping pets—it’s lower than low, but maybe there’s something wrong with them. Sickness, behavioral problems...”
“Don’t talk about me and my cats as if we’re not here,” Granny says. “Honestly, it’s worked out well for everyone. Especially the cats. They’re adorable. I love them.”
“I’m helping Granny take them to the vet next week.”
Jake rubs my mother’s back. “C’mon, babe. No harm, no foul. Yes, there was a better choice here. I don’t know what it was, but I’m sure you’ll explain it to me.”
She smiles at him and pushes a lock of light brown hair off his forehead. He’s a goofy guy with wire-rimmed glasses and has been known to wear a pair of tube socks with his dress shoes. But he settles and calms my mom like I’ve never seen her settled and calm.
“And,” he says. “We have other things to talk about.”
Nick grabs cheese off the table.
“Oh, yes,” Granny says and pulls a small box off the counter. “Your mom and Jake are back early because they were helping me. It was part of a ruse. Open it.”
“Now?”
“Yes.”
I lift the lid on the square box and pull out a set of keys.
KEYS!!!!
“Oh, my gosh. Does this mean...? Wait. This key ring says Camaro. Are these the keys to your Camaro?”
“Your Camaro.”
I scream.
Nick drops his cheese.
I jump up and down. “Are you serious? Oh, thank you. Thank you, thank you, thank you!” I hug granny until something creaks and cracks in her back and she has to sit down.
I think I broke Granny.
“But it’s your car,” I say while wiggling with excitement. “How will you get around?”
She waves her hand. “I don’t go out much, but I have the shuttle for when I need something. It’s convenient.”
“There are some things you need to know,” my mother says. “But you’ll see when you go out to look at it.”
“It’s here? The car is here and not at Melvin’s? Nick!” I scream again and hug him. “The car is here! Thank you so much, Granny.”
“My pleasure. I’m downsizing. I don’t need all these things around here. I’m not buying gifts anymore. I’ll simply be passing things along from now on.”
Jake grabs his jacket. “Get your coat, Holly. Let’s go take a look.”
Nick moves toward the door like an anxious puppy.
Jake pats him on the back. “Give us a few minutes before you come down, would you Nick?”
“Sure,” he says and goes back for a croissant full of Granny’s best chicken salad.
My mom isn’t moving. “Aren’t you coming?”
“Go ahead, baby. Jake’s been working on the car, he knows the details. I have food to set out. More guests are on their way.”
I pause in the hallway. Something’s up. My mother does not miss an opportunity for a lecture, and I know she wants to go all raging maniac on me about the cats and Nick and my crime spree on county road nine. This is her opportunity and she’s passed on it. Merry Christmas to me.
Jake sprints by the elevator and heads for the stairs. “Quicker this way,” he says. “It’s parked on this side. You have the keys?”
“Yes. I can’t believe you and mom came back yesterday.”
“We had to get the snow tires on the car and do some paperwork. We also had to add it to the insurance and make sure it’s ready for the cold. Melvin and I worked on it. Your grandmother hasn’t driven it in the winter for years.”
“How long has this been going on?”
“Collette asked your mother about it a month or so ago. I came over and we went to Melvin’s. Now here we are.”
Jake pushes the door open and lets me walk through. The shiny red car sits under a streetlamp. Beautiful, fluffy snowflakes drift from the sky and land softly on its roof and hood.
I squeal. I hop around a while. I try to hug it.
Jake opens the door. “Get in and start it.”
Like he’d have to ask me twice...
He climbs in beside me and we listen to the sweet sound of freedom in the hum of a boss engine.
“There are a few rules,” Jake starts.
I drop my head back against the seat. “Ug... I knew it was too good to be true.”
“It’s not that bad, but you should remember this is a classic car. It’s not suited for winter in this climate. The chemicals they treat the roads with cause erosion, and the car has a light rear end which means there’s not much traction on slippery roads.”
“You said it has snow tires.”
“Yes, but you have to be careful. And forget driving on ice. You don’t want to slide off into a ditch. Or worse. Your mother thought you should only drive it when the roads are dry until you get used to it.”
“So no driving unless it’s dry and sunny? I might as well put it back in storage until July.”
“It’s not that bad, Holly. We want you to be safe.” Jake looks around and motions toward the road. “Let’s try it out.”
“It’s snowing, Jake. You said—”
“I know what I said, but it’s not sticking on the road yet. Consider this getting used to it.”
I put it in gear and hit the gas.
“Take it easy,” Jake says and laughs. “What is it with the women in this family? You all drive like there’s a fire to get to.”
I turn onto the deserted highway and head for the intersection at the bottom of the hill. Snowflakes swirl in the headlights and race into the windshield with a slow melting splat. I search for the wiper switch.
“Take your time,” Jake says. “You’ll figure out where everything is.”
I concentrate and try to forget how weird it is that my mother’s boyfriend is in the car with me. My mother taught me to drive. There was screaming involved, and I’m sure she’d be screaming now as I can’t clear the glass fast enough.
Jake doesn’t even flinch when I brake too hard.
Most importantly, I am in a car. My car. And probably the coolest car on the mountain.
“It has a full tank, but you need to watch it. This isn’t exactly fuel efficient and it takes premium gas to run smoothly. You’re gonna have to pick up more babysitting to keep this thing on the road.”
I make a turn and drive past Pastor Allen’s small church. Right about now I’m dying to know if my mom’s grilling Nick about what we’ve been up to.
“I need to ask you something, Holly.”
I glance at Jake. “Uh... OK.”
“Don’t look like that,” he says and laughs. “Keep your eye on the road.”
I knew something was going on.
“It’s about your mom. I think you know how I feel about her.”
I squeeze the steering wheel. What am I supposed to say here? I don’t know anything except that he’s taken over our TV and my mom is smiling more than usual. My mom is smiling more than usual...
“Anyway,” he says, and sounds like he’s choking. “I want to ask her to marry me tomorrow. I mean not to get married tomorrow. I want to ask her tomorrow if she’ll marry me. Like at another time. In the future. But not too far in the future...” He scrubs his hands across his jeans and mumbles something under his breath. He grabs the door handle like he wants to jump out. That could be my driving, but I don’t think so.
I stare straight ahead. There’s a lump in my throat the size of one of Granny’s precious gems.
I’ve never been asked this question before, and clearly, Jake has never asked it. What happened to the confident and helpful guy who gave me lunch money and took me to school for a week? Or the guy who sat in the front row and filmed my disastrous holiday show and then kept my mother calm as I bled all over the stage?
“Relax, Jake. How are you ever going to get through a proposal?”
He lets out a nervous bark of laughter. “So you think it’s all right? That I ask? Because this involves you too, Holly. This is a big step for all of us, and I don’t want you to feel left out.”
“Honestly Jake, no one’s ever asked me something like this and I don’t know what to say.” I look in the rearview mirror and prepare to turn left into the complex. “I want my mom to be happy and she seems to be happy when you’re around.”
I grab the first open space I see and attempt to pull in straight. I put the car in park and Jake and I sit and listen to the deep powerful rumble of my car. My car.
He hesitates with his hand on the door. “I love her, Holly. I hope she’s happy because she makes me happy. I want to be there for her. And you. I wanted you to know that.”
No one’s ever said that to me before, either. I am surprised by the bubble of emotion that explodes in my chest.
I long ago gave up my “daddy” fantasies. Mine left. He never came back. I didn’t do the father-daughter picnic in Girl Scouts, and I didn’t attend the father-daughter dance at the rec center. I act like it’s no big deal when Amanda’s dad treats me like his fourth child and pulls us under each arm at the lake and drags us to the edge of the dock and pushes us in the water. We come up laughing and out of breath and I always tell myself I don’t miss the daddy stuff.
But I do. I did.
“I know you’re leaving for school next year,” he says as I struggle to not cry. “I’m not trying to intrude on your life—”
“It’s OK, Jake. Thanks for telling me. And thanks for working on the car. It’s... It’s amazing.”
“I enjoyed it. I better get back before your mom starts looking for me.”
Nick comes around the complex and skids to a stop in front of the car.
“Guess we should have told him we took a ride and came back to the front of the building,” Jake says. “How many laps do you think he’s made around this place looking for us?”
I laugh when I think of Nick hopping shrubs in the dark.
“Cherry,” Nick says as Jake gets out and he hops in.
“No doubt,” Jake answers. “I’ll see you upstairs.”
“Thanks Jake,” I call after him.
Nick rubs his hands across the dash with great reverence. “Aw man, I wish it was a 4-speed.”
“Not me,” I say
“Did you check out what’s under the hood?”
Truthfully? Not that interested in what the engine looks like—as long as it runs. “Not yet. Maybe tomorrow in the daylight. Come to think of it, I don’t know how to pop the hood.”
“There’s a latch under the front bumper.”
“Good to know,” I say and smile.
“This is so sweet. Listen to that engine.”
“I know. That low roar is my favorite part of this car.”
Nick pauses to touch my face and brush a piece of hair off my cheek. “Then what’s wrong? You look worried or something.”
“Is it my face again? I can’t hide anything. My face gives everything away. I’ve got to do something about this!”
Nick laughs. “No, you don’t.”
I turn off the car. “Jake wants to marry my mom,” I say and gnaw on my bottom lip. “He’s going to ask her tomorrow. He wanted me to know.”
“Wow. He seems like a nice guy. Are you OK with it?”
“Yeah... I don’t know. My mom and I fight a lot, but I want her to be happy. Jake seems to calm her down. Like last week, she screamed at me three days in a row about the dirty clothes on my floor. And I’m like, it’s my laundry. What does she care when I do it? And later, when they thought I was in the basement, Jake was like, she’ll figure it out when she runs out of clean clothes. And I didn’t hear any more about it for two days.”
Nick twists the knobs on the radio. “My dad’s been with his girlfriend for a while, but I don’t think it’s serious. Or I don’t think he’s serious. It would be a shock if they came home and told me something like this. At least with Jake and your mom it seems like they really care for each other. That’s something.”
“Maybe that’s everything,” I mumble as I gather my things. “Are you ready to get back? Your Aunt Ivy’s probably looking for you. This must be a hard night for her.”
I lock my door and head for the steps at the main entrance.
Nick scrambles to catch up with me. “Wait. I need to talk to you.”
“I’m sorry. I got distracted with Officer Pinkney and the car and Jake’s news.”
“Yeah, another crazy night, huh?”
Yes, but I’ve not forgotten for one second that Nick Zernigan was trying to say something to me two hours ago. What was it he was wondering?
I stop on the porch and gaze at Nick as a single snowflake melts on his eyelash.
“What’s up?”
“I’m going, Holly. I’m joining the Army. As soon as I talk to my dad I can take some tests and go for my physical. I’ll go as soon as I graduate if they’ll let me.”
“I knew it! Aw, Nick, are you sure? I know you feel that way tonight, but have you talked to anyone else? Have you prayed about this?”
“That’s the thing, Holly, I did everything you said. Pastor Allen was here earlier, before the service. I did talk to him. He prayed with me. He asked me to come by next week so we could talk and pray about it again. But I’m telling you, I’ve never been more sure.”
My own tiny issues seem unimportant when I think of Nick far from home, far from the mountain, far from me.
I jump into his embrace uninvited. I wrap my arms around his neck and squeeze. “I’ll pray for you every day,” I say in his ear. “I know God will protect you. I’ll pray for your dad, your mom, your Aunt Ivy... If this is truly God’s will for your life, it’ll work out.”
“That’s a lot of praying.”
He laughs and I step back.
“I appreciate your prayers, Holly, and your advice. I wanted you to know I made the decision because we talked about it and I haven’t told anyone else.”
“Your secret’s safe with me.”
Another snowflake drifts into his shiny dark hair. “I also wanted to say thank you.”
“You’re welcome, Nick. What for?”
But I know what this is. I go home tomorrow and he moves on. Christmas is over and this unexpected five days fades away.
“For this week,” he says. “I thought you hated me, but I’ve had a blast.
I try not to shiver. “I never hated you. I barely knew you.”
He shoves his hands in his pockets. “After that accident you were so upset. And that first day I saw you here I couldn’t believe it was you. Right here. On this porch. You were so ticked.”
“Yeah. Not real proud of my behavior that day, but the truth is, I’ve had a blast too. I’m glad we talked and got to know each other. And you’re a great cat burglar. So thank you too, Nick. If I had to be dumped on a doorstep at Christmas, I’m glad it was here, and I’m glad it was with you.”
I rub my hands together for heat and plan my escape. I get it. The brush-off is complete and I can go. “So... I need to get upstairs. Merry Christmas, Nick.”
“Holly, wait.” He grabs my arm. “Where are you going? What’s wrong?”
I’m doing it again, I just know it. A tear has escaped. I feel it trickle down my cold cheek as my face betrays me again. “Nothing’s wrong. Or everything’s wrong. I don’t know. You’re confusing me. I thought this was your way of saying see you around or something.”
“Are you crying?”
“No! Maybe a little. Never mind. I understand.”
“C’mon, Holly, can you relax for one minute? What is it you think you understand? What kind of guy do you think I am?”
“I’m sorry. I’m not very good at... At whatever this is,” I say and manage a tiny laugh. “This night has been over-the-top emotional. Jesus is born, the cops come, I get a car, there’s a wedding to plan. A great guy I just got to know tells me he’s leaving to head straight into danger...”
Nick takes me in his arms with such force my breath escapes and I can’t get it back. I am happier than I care to admit in his tight embrace.
“I’ll be safe,” he says and strokes my hair. “Especially with all the praying you’ll be doing.”
I laugh against his chest. “I know God will protect you. And don’t get me wrong, I’m proud to know someone who wants to serve their country. But it’s scary.”
“Forget all that right now. I also wanted to know if you’ll come to my dad’s New Year’s Eve party with me. He’ll be back in town in a couple days. It’s a big deal for him.”
The dips and turns and highs and lows of this week would put any roller coaster to shame. I’m squeezing the bar again and waiting for the bottom to fall out from under me.
“I’d love to,” I say against his chest. “Sounds like fun.”
“And one more thing. Your face is fine the way it is.”
“What?” I look up at him, curious as to where this is going.
“Earlier. You said you wanted to change it because you can’t hide what you’re feeling. But your face is beautiful, Holly. Even when your eyes were black, even when your nose was swollen, and especially when you give everything away. Because it’s honest.”
Nick Zernigan is kissing me again. My chest aches from the cold and the warmth and the truth of Christmas and Nick’s peace and certainty and a million other things...
The roller coaster is clicking up another hill... Whoosh! It drops again and I am screaming and laughing in my head, breathless.
Christmas is saved.